To wonder if vets always say dogs need a dental?

[CovidCorvid]

It never used to be a thing but now it seems that everyone I know at every annual check up is told this. Obviously they're expensive and also a risk to the dog (I had a dog die having a routine dental a few years ago).

But I get if the vet is correct then it's a risk to the dog's long term health to not have it done. But I'm just not sure if I trust the vet. Friend of mine was told this 3 years ago, has never had it done and says the teeth are no worse now than 3 years ago (just a bit brown)

Is there anyway of telling if they really need doing or if they're just a bit stained? We had dogs when I was a kid and never heard of dogs having dentals....has care just improved or is it OTT?

If it needs doing I'll pay....but will be terrified of the dog dying. I'm putting off making a routine appt at the vets as I know they're going to say this.

And yes dh has the same issue with dentists and I keep telling him to change dentist for one he trusts as his current one is seriously dodgy and has a very bad reputation.

I do feel vets often over egg things🤷‍♀️

@Feather9

Yes every time they have their boosters and check ups they say they need their teeth sorted One 14 and one 12 happy healthy and are eating well so can still chew Quoted £600 plus each Have been telling me this for years I decline every time and say when it causes them pain I obviously will get it done they are happy healthy and eat their food I do think it’s a vets way of easy money making

No way is it an easy way of money making ! Its often extremely dirty ,messy and very smelly . Depending on the size of the dog / teeth , it can be quite physically hard if extractions are involved . At my practice a nurse carries out intensive ga monitoring alongside the vet working on the mouth - animals can lose body heat more so with a dental . The majority of dentals are carried out on small breeds and greyhounds , cats also . Middle size breeds not so much . No one is obliged to do what the vet advises and as for any consumer you are entitled to shop around for quotes . Surprisingly the majority of the veterinary profession only want to do the best for your pets , and if there were an nhs for animals i bet a large amount of owners would'nt think twice about a procedure if it were' free'. We have worked unbelievably hard through out the last 2 years , hard work before covid too and it is so dis heartening when there is yet another thread that will probably become a vets bashing.

Dentals are not easy money.

With the current major staffing issues and huge increase in numbers of pets, vets would be off their rocker to say an animal needs a Dental when it actually doesn't.

It's also just not how the teeth look. It's also about the gums and general oral health.

Having animals living to old age despite not having dentals is not proof that animals don't need dentals.

I can assure you there is not a vet or nurse in the country who enjoys doing dentals, apart from maybe the specialists. We certainly don't do them for the joy of it

Well no. You do them because people pay you money for it.

I can assure you as I work in a vets that the vets do not recommend dentals 'just for the sake of a bit of money'. Vet practices are severely short staffed at the moment and have had to, in many practices , close their books to new clients due to the excessive amounts of new 'lockdown' puppies and lack of qualified nurses and vets. If the vets were looking to make easy money it wouldnt be dentals they would try to flog-they are excessively time consuming and labour intensive when teeth need removing. Scale and polishes are often recommended as you cannot tell the true extent of the problem until the tartar is removed both about and below the gum line. Most vets and nurses are in the profession as they care about the welfare of the animals they treat and recommend these procedures because they dont want the pet to suffer. Yes, some animals may not 'seem in pain' but pets are quite often stoic with dental pain- we have animals come in with huge holes through their teeth but havent 'seemed in pain'. Vets and nurses work their hardest, please support them.

Well it’s certainly reassuring to hear that it’s unlikely to be recommended if not necessary.

I haven't voted in case I did the wrong one.
I changed vets just over a year ago. I recently noticed her teeth a bit discoloured and mentioned it. She said to brush a few times a week and use fresh breath sticks.
She said at not 5 with good teeth she would never think of it. It has never been suggested.

Some vets can be pushy and fond of money .

My vet has just got a brand new range rover and his kids have started riding lessons again. They are away on another really lovely holiday abroad.
I do trust the vet to a point, he is a lovely man but certainly has a taste for the finer things. Three of us locally have all had the same talk about next year needing to knock our dogs out for a scale & polish, including a 14year old mongrel. It sounds like the new thing.
A big bit of trust went during one visit when he was weighing up treatment options and asked if we were insured.

I use a small local vet practice. I get given dental advice but never needed to have dental treatment. I’ve always brushed my dogs’ teeth, use dentistix and encouraging chewing. It helps.

@TeardropImplodes

My vet has just got a brand new range rover and his kids have started riding lessons again. They are away on another really lovely holiday abroad. I do trust the vet to a point, he is a lovely man but certainly has a taste for the finer things. Three of us locally have all had the same talk about next year needing to knock our dogs out for a scale & polish, including a 14year old mongrel. It sounds like the new thing. A big bit of trust went during one visit when he was weighing up treatment options and asked if we were insured.

Yes, he should totally be driving a knackered Reliant Robin and his kids should be in rags. Vets run a business, they train for years and spend a fortune to get qualified - why the Hell shouldn’t they be allowed to make a profit? My vet friends aren’t incredibly rich at all

Normally vets ask if you're insured as they want to be able to do everything they can for your pet.insurance allows them to do this. They also ask as by asking it means they can remember to ask you to bring an insurance form in if the treatment you're having could be claimed for.Vet nurses very rarely get paid more than 30 thousand pound, with vets earning around 40 thousand pounds, with many having student loans accumulated from years at university. This Is before paying for cpd which is compulsory to stay on the register.

I'm a veterinary nurse.
NO vets I know are rich or drive massive fancy cars. Most live in flats and are on a decent but not extraordinary wage.
As for the dentals, they are among some of the most hated jobs in the practice for the vets.
I'm sorry but there is NO WAY you can 'just tell' you're pet does not need dental treatment. The tooth may look outwardly healthy but until you use a dental probe you cannot tell if there is a pocket around the gum , until you take dental xrays you cannot tell if there is an underlying issue with the tooth, until you crack off the tartar you cannot tell what is happening to the tooth underneath.
Some animals are great at hiding pain and will continue to chew and eat with the most horrendous mouths with exposed pulp etc, and as has already been mentioned, dental disease can lead to heart and kidney problems too.
I'm also failing to understand the significance of "a 14 year old mongrel". What difference does that make? Would it be better if it was a pedigree dog?
In answer to your question OP, dental care has improved in the veterinary sphere over the years and so while the teeth may just look a 'bit brown' to you there is no way for you to tell without a proper dental examination what needs done. I know GAs are always a worry for clients but is you have pre anaesthetic bloods done to check for underlying kidney/liver issues this might reassure you a little. Death under GA is pretty rare so its unfortunate what happened to your dog and I am very sorry to hear that.
Please be guided by what your vet says and not a bunch of random people on the internet.
I could say more but this is obviously another vet bashing thread for some people so please at least have a check up for you dog and then make the decision.

My last dog had perfect teeth and never a single thing done, the one before that needed some dental work done once when he was about 11, I’ve an 11 year old cat with great teeth and nothing ever done or suggested so far and I had a cat who had to have dental stuff done every 2 or 3 years from being about 3... because she had dodgy teeth.

All with the same vet.

So if you don’t trust your vet, then yeah, find a new one.

My dog grommer always says my dog needs dental work, as she does his teeth each groom ( so maybe 4 times a year) Each annual checkup at jab time I ask the vets to check his teeth and they say he doesn't need dental work. Groomer must be doing a good job. But my dogs always seem to have terrible teeth, they don't have treats or chews. They eat kibble.

I’ve never had this but I brush their teeth with a doggie toothpaste once a week

I've said this already in another thread, but my just about to turn 16 year old boy with level 2 kidney disease had a dental last week.

I was always of the mindset of 'yes he's got bad breath, but he's old and still eating so...'

Until he stopped being able to eat.

To cut a long story short, I cried loads but booked him in for a dental. The vet was amazing - answering all of my questions honestly and kindly (over quite a few phone calls tbh )

To help his kidneys he had fluids before, during and after. He had 3 teeth out including one broken one, and has recovered amazingly - eating more than he has in years and bouncing round the garden.

He's been with the same vet since he was 8 weeks old and this was the first time a dental was recommended.

The total bill was £400. It was worth every penny to make my darling boy as comfortable as possible in his old age.

I've never been told my dog needs a dental. Nor any of my cats, come to that.

The dog had his annual check-up a few days ago and the vets said he was in great health with perfect teeth and that there was nothing to worry about.

They are a rural farm vets though, and considerably cheaper than any chain vet I've ever been to!

I was a vet nurse for a decade and the only time we did dentals was if the dog had issues

Best thing to keep dogs teeth healthy

No wet food
Dog bones or hard chews
A good stick in the garden

A good stick in the garden

Sticks are generally discouraged now as they can break up and get stuck in the mouth, causing injury.

@icedcoffees

A good stick in the garden

Sticks are generally discouraged now as they can break up and get stuck in the mouth, causing injury.

Yep, mine used to love those nylon rings - he chewed then until they were basically razor sharp. Having had them rested on my leg a few times I have no idea how he didn't rip his mouth to shreds

Several dogs, same vet for 20 years, never been told they needed dental work. Each dog gets a dentastick for breakfast.

She doesn't have wet food, she's a bit tubby so gets a carrot every day rather than dentastix, I try and brush her teeth but it's tricky as she shakes her head about, use plaque off in the water.

Never had a vet say a dog needs dental and I don't brush them (do get good rough chews regularly though) I think there are good vets and less good though, so if trust is gone you need to switch